CHICAGO - A federal prosecutor told jurors Thursday that the mob trial getting under way in Chicago was about real people and not an episode of "Sopranos."

"This is not 'Sopranos.' This is not 'The Godfather,'" said Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully during his opening statement in the Family Secrets trial, The Chicago Tribune said.

Scully said the Chicago mob -- known as the "Outfit" -- is "corrupt, it's violent, it's without honor."

The Chicago Sun-Times said top mobsters standing trial include the reputed head of the Chicago mob, James "Little Jimmy" Marcello; reputed top mobster Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo; and alleged mob hit man Frank Calabrese Sr.

The case is centered on 18 previously unsolved slayings from 1970 to 1986. The Sun-Times said the most well-known case is the double slaying in 1986 of Anthony Spilotro and his brother Michael, which was dramatized in Martin Scorsese's 1995 movie "Casino."

Calabrese's attorney, Joseph Lopez, said Calabrese has been out of organized crime since the 1980s. He alleges the defendant's brother, key prosecution witness Nicholas Calabrese, is the mob boss.